Sam Altman’s controversial blockchain project, World, is launching in the U.S. – and said it intends to roll out 7,500 eye-scanning “orbs” in cities across the country by the end of the year.
World’s orbs — chrome, bowling ball-shaped devices that scan a person’s eyeballs to confirm their identity — will initially be available to Americans in six “key innovation hubs,” the company said: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. Those who decide to take the plunge and gaze into the orb will gain access to the World app and receive an airdrop of World’s WLD token. By the end of the year, the project aims to have enough orbs spread throughout the U.S. to give 180 million Americans, more than half the population, access to World’s network.
Altman and other executives at World’s parent company Tools for Humanity announced the U.S. expansion at a press conference in San Francisco on Wednesday evening, along with a dizzying slew of new features and partnerships for the project.
The World app will now offer its users access to crypto-backed loans through non-custodial lending protocol Morpho and prediction markets through Kalshi. Later this year, WLD holders will be able to spend their tokens like cash with a new World-linked Visa debit card. The project is even integrating its identity-verification technology into some online dating apps. Starting with Tinder users in Japan, online dating giant Match Group will pilot using World ID to verify the ages of its users.
Altman stated that the idea for World had been conceived long before his venture into generative artificial intelligence with OpenAI. He emphasized the necessity of having a reliable human authentication method in an era increasingly inundated with AI-generated content.
“We needed some sort of way for authenticating humans in the age of artificial general intelligence,” Altman remarked during the press conference. “We need a way to distinguish human-generated content from that produced by AI, ensuring that humans remain at the center of influence in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
Despite the seemingly futuristic nature of the project, Altman admitted that his initial concepts around human verification were “very crazy,” showcasing the transformative potential of World—yet only scratching the surface of its capabilities.
World represents the latest in a string of crypto projects announcing U.S. expansion amidst a more benevolent regulatory environment following President Donald Trump’s administration. This generous climate has enabled innovative tech solutions to flourish.
Additionally, the company revealed plans to establish a manufacturing facility in Richardson, Texas—a suburb of Dallas—to support the production of the orbs for its imminent expansion. Following the initial rollout, other major cities, including Seattle, Orlando, San Diego, and Las Vegas, will be part of a second wave of installations.
“They will really be everywhere,” remarked Alex Blania, Tools for Humanity’s co-founder. “They will be in gas stations, convenience stores, and you will be able to verify within 10 minutes wherever you are.”
